And the office, on Norwich Road, is due to have a chapel of rest dedicated in the near future.

The supermarket closed last month after its trade was hit by the opening of a new Tesco address store in the former Emperor Pub just before Christmas.

A spokeswoman for the East of England Co-op said the office was an addition to its existing funeral service – it would not replace existing offices in the town.

Staff had been transferred to the office from other locations – its opening had not immediately created any new jobs.

The new office is only a short distance away from another funeral directors’ – Hunnabell is based in an office next to the new Tesco Express store.

The conversion of the former pub into a small supermarket had prompted fears that it could threaten the viability of other stores in the local centre in Norwich Road – however the Co-op supermarket is the only building to have seen a change of use.

The conversion was controversial, but did not require planning permission in itself. However the borough did need to approve an extension which was needed to make it viable as a new supermarket before it was opened by the retail giant in early December after a five-month conversion programme at the site.

"...How can they possibly allow two funeral directors within three or four doors of each other?" Just the same as they allowed Tesco to move in next to the Coop, and elsewhere, endless gambling establishments in the same streets whilst loan sharks have a field day! All short term gain toadying.

You have to ask your self both locally and nationally why the Coop is failing and the answer is horrendous managerial appointments. The company has some excellent employees, but it is so mismanaged you wouldn't believe.........or more likely you would. I'm not sure how it has survived this long.

A very 'current' business statement by the East of England Co-op, in line with national strategy. Our local Co-op foodstore has been preparing customers for such a move for the last ten years... creating an atmosphere of decay, which had previously confused me. I'll buy my evening nibbles elsewhere for a while though... in case they are now looking for new business more actively than they usually do.

Having dealt with the Co-Op with the passing of dear father in 2012 via their offices in St Helens Street, I would advise that their "modern" look is completely wrong. As someone earlier posted it looks like the front window of a supermarket or, I would add, an estate agent. Bereaved families look for and expect privacy, dignity and comfort in their darkness hours. I would suggest that these Norwich Road premises do not fit the bill on all counts.

I wonder how much trade the chip shop will lose.. and how much the coop will gain... The funeral shop has clearly been done on the cheap, the style doesn't match the building, the windows are too shiny so will make it difficult to read the content within the window display, not liking the EoE coop logo and the brick wall is pathetic (even more so when it was the food place). No mention Ipswich Star about the co-op bank in town... is it relocating elsewhere or is it withdrawing from the town completely?

If the East of England Co-op had updated their foodstore to the same standard then perhaps it wouldn't have lost trade to the new Tesco. Most of the local Co-op's are looking dated and tired and need updating and people will stop using them when a newer fresher store opens nearby. I'm glad however that they have retained the premises and think the look of the new funeral parlour is contemporary and inspired.